Faith Community Nurse Biography

Born in Guntown, Mississippi, graduated from Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Memphis, Tennessee with a diploma in nursing in 1966. Back to college in 1986 graduated from Athens State University with a B.S. in psychology. I have worked in medical/surgical nursing, patient education for diabetes and weight control, CPR instructor for the American Heart Assoc. while at Humana/Medical Center Hospital, is a veteran of the Gulf War serving in an Intensive Care Unit in King Kahalid Military City Hospital in 1991, and since 1984 has worked in PostAnesthesia Care Unit at Huntsville Hospital. I graduated from the WMU/Samford sponsored Parish Nurse Course in October 2000. We started the health ministry in May of 2001. Retired in 2011 from Huntsville Hospital.

Nursing has always been more than treating “just a disease” to me. I was taught to see the whole person in my early nurse’s training. Healthcare has somehow lost sight of that goal. I feel that Parish Nursing recaptures that concept of wholeness. I feel that God has called me to this next phase of my nursing career as a Parish Nurse or Faith Community Nurse as it is now called.

I have been active in First Baptist Church since 1987 serving in the Single’s ministry as department director of Singles III and Singles II, member of the nominating committee, community ministries committee, and as a deacon. Mission trips have been to Prague to work on the seminary, medical mission to Guatemala, and helped plan and work in health fairs in Perry, County and at First Baptist. I work one day a week at Huntsville Assistance Program and on a committee to organize the community free dental clinic.

The desire to develop a Parish Nurse Ministry began to take shape about in 1999. The most obvious place for such a vision to be put into place is this church family where God has placed me. He has given me a desire to reach into this congregation and out to this community to do preventive healthcare that treats the whole person, body, mind, and spirit.

I have twin daughters that are building their careers; one in lymphedema massage physical therapy in Dallas, Texas and the other works with the deaf in Ashville, N.C. As of June 28, 2007, I am married to Frank Graves and we live in Arab, AL.